Nikon TC-14E II teleconverter listed as discontinued

A reader alerted me that the Nikon TC-14E II teleconverter is listed as discontinued at the official Nikon Sweden online store (utgången means discontinued). This could just be a mistake or a local decision, but it could also be an indication that Nikon is planning to refresh their teleconverter(s) for the Winter Olympics in Sochi (February 2014). Coincidentally, the TC-14E II teleconverter is currently backordered at Adorama and B&H (only limited stock at Amazon).

It has been over an hour and the only comment is from a dog who half heartedly said “woof” to the news. Surely, this is worth at least two “woofs” (if you are a dog) or a snarky comment if you are a real person.

I AM COSMETIC

Be good if the best gets better, but I suspect just another paint job (ala TC14E to TC14E II)

anon

The tc20 ii to iii was supposedly a vast improvement, though i haven’t used one, only read about them. So it goes to reason the ii to iii of the tc14 will see some improvement as well. Maybe we’ll see a new 300 f4 along with new tc.

Smudger

The TC20E I & II were rather better (if used with the right lens) than their reputation suggests. However the TC20EIII is a very marked improvement.
The only differences between the I and II are paint and knurling.

F5 was King

They didn’t last time.

Mr. Mamiya

From TC14E to TC14E II they just changed the designation from AF-I to AF-S, that’s correct. But from TC20E II to III they improved the opticts an added an aspherical element. Why shouldn’t they improve the TC14 too?

neversink

And not a very enthusiastic “woof” at that. No growling, no howling, no snarling, no biting, no begging, no snapping — just a lazy dog “woof.” Perhaps this canine’s pathetic bark is louder than its photography.

Just ignore the animal noise and move on. Why respond to a troll or a talking dog.

cat

Woof. Seems like it gets replaced with the D400.

Site Sponsor

^^ Ban.
D4xx reference.

Censor Bait

D500 is the new D400!

fred

Yes, D400 and super sharp 300mm f4 AFS VR coming soon!

Simon Bergman

This might be just a mistake on the Swedish website. I checked the Finnish site and it is not listed as discontinued there. Nikon in Sweden and Finland belong to the same parent company Nikon Nordic Ab.

decisivemoment

Well, now, this will be something to see. The TC-14 is still better than the TC-17 or TC-20III. So what does Nikon have in mind; a TC that puts just a two or three percent penalty on sharpness as opposed to the roughly 10 to 15 percent of the TC-14? That will be impressive. I have to say I guess that’s why I’m a bit skeptical that this is actually happening — but then again there’s an image-stabilized 300/4 to introduce, and a perfectly matched 1.4 TC would be appropriate.

Though some will argue Nikon is more
conservative with sharpening. Playing with the tool suggest Nikon TC could be improved further.

MB

TC-14E II is fantastic as it is though a bit small, on the other hand TC-17E II could use bit of improvement …
I wonder if maybe Nikon will discontinue TC-14 line altogether because of small sales and offer only TC-17 and TC-20 in the future …

Show me the data

Small sales? Where did you get the sales numbers from?

MB

Same place you did …

Show me the data

I don’t have any sales numbers, that’s why I am asking.

Dpablo unfiltered

Hilarious.

alan hall

The NIKON STORE USA site ,has SHOP NOW for the 1.7 and the2.0 but has WHERE TO BUY for the 1.4??

Spy Black

Teleconverters like this were a good idea back in the ’70s when they were first introduced today they’re quite useless, really. It’s much more intelligent to crop a digital image by the same 1.4x mag and get the same or better IQ. Furthermore, you don’t lose a stop of light when shooting.

Marko Germani

Wrong. To get the maximum resolution the lens can offer, you need to match the pixel pitch to the relative aperture. The usual pixel pitch, even that of a D800, is way too coarse to get the most out of a f/2.8 lens. So, in certain situations (especially when light is not limited) teleconverters are useful.

Spy Black

Try looking at a real image.

I AM NONSENSE

Utter garbage.
Sorry to be blunt but it is.

Spy Black

Yes, you are nonsense…

neversink

We’ve had this argument before. You are wrong. There are times when a teleconverter is useful. I have used them and then cropped the image. There is a lot written about degradation in TCs throughout the internet, but from my experience they come in handy at times. I have shot the 70-200 with the TC 1.4 and the newer TC 2.0 when i didn’t want to lug my 500 f/4.0 with me on assignment, and the shots have been spectacular (even when cropped.) Good enough for demanding editors. Perhaps you need to use the TCs in real life situations before criticizing them so much. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Spy Black

I have. That’s why I criticize them. In this day and age there’s no point in them, especially when you also lose a stop on top of it. However if it floats your boat, it’s your money, and your exposure.

Black Spy II

Yep the dude is spot on.
All you guys with big lenses, never mind TCs, are just wasting $$$$$.
The answer as always is D800E + 24-70mm and crop, crop, crop.
And BTW shooting raw just wastes HD space. smasll jpg basic are all anyone really needs. Just ask Spy Black.

Currently using TC-14EII and 400/2.8VR. Pretty satisfied with results and basically the TC is always attached in daylight conditions. At F/4 its possible to see very slight degradation in image quality but by F/5 it is difficult to see whether the TC is there or not. Whole different thing with TC-20EIII, the 800mm /5.6 only works well when the distance is short. Better to use D800E + 400/2.8 + TC-14EII than D4 + 400/2.8 + TC20EIII

Still it would be nice to see if there is a way to improve the TC-14.

FredBear

Maybe Nikon will incorporate TCs in all their lenses from now on?
(Just kidding).
Would have thought the TC 17 was most likely to get updated first as it (according to web reviews) has pretty poor performance when compared to the 1.4 and 2.0

KnightPhoto

My TC17E II has always performed excellently on my 500VR and is very very sharp. Personally my sense is that the “internet wisdom” about the TC17E is something that gets repeated around and simply has very limited substance to it. Has anyone seen objective tests that they can point us to such as dXOMark or PhotoZone? I use my TC17E II for birding. Meanwhile I am unconvinced the TC20E III is actually sharper or as sharp as the TC17E.

KnightPhoto

I just tried that “TheDigitalPicture” link provided below and these objective results appear to validate that the TC17 is definitely sharper than the TC20E III when used on the 500VR. So I remain unconvinced about the “internet wisdom”.
Having said all that, absolutely I would purchase a “III” version of the TC14 or 17 assuming they will offer some advantage. Us birders are pretty much ALWAYS using teleconverters (despite SpyBlack’s comment below 😉 ).

neversink

Read my comment above about TCs in reply to Spy Black… I agree with your assessments whether you are shooting birds or hockey!TCs have their moments. (Of course the new 800 is a much better way to go than the 500 with a TC. But that will cost you two arms and two legs.